World U20 Championships: Oji tops qualifying to reach shot put final

Nigeria’s Jessica Oji topped the qualifying standings in the women’s shot put at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Oregon on Thursday, throwing 17.56m to book her place in the final.

The mark secured Oji the automatic qualifying standard and put her ahead of Ecuador’s Belsy Jennifer Quinonez, who threw 17.25m, and Germany’s Emily Scherf, who managed 16.58m.

The 19-year-old arrives in Oregon on the back of a silver medal in the women’s shot put at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, where she recorded a best throw of 17.87m. Her performance in qualifying has fuelled expectations of a strong showing in the final, scheduled for Thursday evening in Oregon (3:40am Friday, Nigerian time).

The National Sports Commission, in a statement, described Oji’s run of form as evidence of her emergence as one of Nigeria’s brightest young field-event prospects.